“Fish are hard — they’re not as exciting as bear and bison and some of the rare birds we’re trying to save,” admits Parks Canada aquatic specialist Shelley Humphries. But she has a conservation success story to tell about westslope cutthroat trout in Banff National Park that she hopes people will listen to.

Administrative errors, not wildlife management issues, prompted a federal judge to find that the National Park Service erred back in 2020 when it relaxed its hunting and trapping regulations in Alaska so they'd be in line with state regulations.

As the West continues to get warmer and even drier, the climate is having an adverse effect on woodlands. According to research from the University of Nevada, Reno, four of five species of juniper-pinyon are in decline because of the climate change.

Fall is dropping temperatures, and a dusting of snow, at Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California, which means winter can't be too far off. Visitors should be prepared for changing conditions including below freezing nighttime temperatures, limited campsites and visitor services, and temporary effects of fire management activities.